The fight for Jayalalithaa’s Veda Nilayam
The Hindu
The tug of war between Jayalalithaa’s heirs and the AIADMK is far from over
Veda Nilayam, the home of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in Chennai’s upmarket Poes Garden and a hub of political activity for over 25 years, is in the news again.
On November 24, the Madras High Court of the late leader for converting it into a memorial. Its judgment was based on several grounds, one of which was that the acquisition “cannot be said to involve a ‘public purpose’ in law.” On December 10, Chennai Collector J. Vijaya Rani , niece and nephew of Jayalalithaa and children of her only sibling, Jayakumar [who died in 1995]. Ms. Deepa and her husband then promptly visited Veda Nilayam to take possession of the property. Five days later, the , challenging the Court’s verdict.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.